Diaper button



1959 M. F. BUCKINGHAM &86 3

DIAPER BUTTON Filed April 21, 1955 3 7/////////////,7, 23 1% I 3126 i 0 s I IN V EN TOR.

nited States Parent O DIAPER BUTTON Marshal] F. Bucknglam, Ferndale, Mich.

Application April 21, 1955, Serial No. 502,985

I'Claim. (CI. 24-110) This invention relates to a button and more particularly to a two-piece diaper button which may be employed when it is desired to secure two or more layers of a diaper together.

It is an object of this invention to provide a separable diaper button which is positively locked when in its engaged position.

It is another object of this invention to provide a twopiece diaper button which may be detachably fastened to the fabric of the diaper.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a diaper button of two pieces which automatically locks when assembled.

It is an additional object to provide a securing device in the form of a button which may be easily and ineX- pensively manufactured in a form which presents an eX- t'emely attractive appearance.

Other and more specific objects will be apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top view of a button constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded sectional view showing the button detached;

Figure 3 is a sectional view showing the button Secured to a fabric; and

Figure 4 is a sectional view showing the metal lockng parts of the button, and omitting the plastic upper and lower cloth gripping members.

In Figure 1, -the numeral 1 indicates the top of the diaper button, the same having an annular portion at 2 and a release button cap 3 in its center. As shown in Figure 2, top portion 1 has a hollow casing 8 embedded therein. The casing 8 is circular in cross section and has a hollow tapering chamber 21 which becomes narrower near the aperture 22. Casing 8 is provided with a central flange 9 to limit the upward movement of collar 10, which latter is slidably mounted on the hollow sleeve 23.

This sleeve 23 is connected to and is integral with the button cap 3 and has a compression spring 12 located between collar 10 and flange 24. Sleeve 23 has radial recesses 25 extending from the outside to the central bore 25, with balls 11 movably mounted in the recess 25.

The disc 4 of the diaper button has a stud 17 having a pointed end 7. Rigidly Secured to said stud is the head 5, the same being fixedly positioned within a recess 18 in the lower surface of disc 4. Stud 17 has an annular groove 6 located near its pointed end.

Normally, compression spring 12 urges sleeve 23 to its lowermost position within -the smaller end of the chamber 21, as shown in Figure 4, so that the fiange 24 rests on the extendng fiange 27 of casing 8. The collar '10 is also urged to its uppermost position by spring 12 so ice lowermost position and, progressively, the outward movement of the balls 11 becomes more limited by the lower walls of tapering chamber 21 so that they are forced into the radial 'eces'ses 25 and engage groove 6 to thereby prevent further movement of the stud within bore 26.

Pressure tending to separate the parts, such as the pressure exerted by the diaper material* 20, will actually result in a more'firm grip of the balls within groove 6.

If the' button cap 3 is moved upwardly, it will force sleeve 23 upwardly against the bias of spring 12 and .pull the balls up into the enlarged part of chamber 21, until they reach a point in tapered chamber 21 that is sufliciently large to enable the balls to move radially outwardly against the walls of the chamber 21 to such an extent that the groove 6 of stud 17 is freed from the balls. The parts may then be separated as shown in Figure 2.

Considerable space remains between the top 1 and bottom 4 of the button when balls 11 are in engagement with groove 6 so that several thicknesses of a cloth 20 may be ret-ained, as shown in Figure 3. The pointed end 7 of stud 17 allows the button to be easily attached to any fabric or cloth since it readily perforates the same.

It is to be noted that once the balls 11 have contacted groove 6, the diaper button cannot be separated unless it is desired to do so.

In carrying out my invention as herein disclosed, I prefer to form the top 1 and the disc 4 out of plastic material, not only for economic purposes, but also because plastic has a pleasing appearance. The other parts are preferably metallic. However, it is to be understood that under some circumstances I might utilize Wood, glass, bone, and other appropriate substances in fabricating the button.

The Construction is such that it may be easily applied to a diaper when in place on a child, and there is no danger of the pointed end 7 Contacting the child during application or removal, or when the diaper is in place on the child, i. e., during the use of the diaper with the diaper button in place.

The above description and drawings disclose a single embodiment of the nvention, and specific language has been employed in describng the several figures. It will, nevertheless, be understood that no limitations of the scope of the invention are thereby contemplated, and that various alterations and modifications may be made such as would occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

I claim:

A diaper button comprising a separable plastic top having an upper surface and a plastic disk bottom each composed of disk-like circular members with substantially flat upper and lower surfaces of substantially the same diameter and each having coplanar confronting faces, said top having embedded therein a metallic central casing, said casing being entirely embedded in said plastic top and extending from the substantially fiat upper surface to the flat lower surface thereof, said casing being provided with a tapered hollow passage and .forming openings of different diameters at 'the top and bottom portions of the same, a flange on said casing at the top portion of said passage and a collar seated on said flange, a fiange at the bottom portion of said passage, said fianges being co-planar with said top upper surface and with said top confronting face and forming a part of said central casing, said flanges forming the extremities of the tapered hollow passagew-ay of said casing whereby said passageway is entirely enclosed on its sides by said plastic top in which it is embedded, said bottom having a shaft, a groove and a pointed end on said shaft, a release button having a shaft provided with a central bore and spaced fianges adjacent the end of said shaft, said release button central bore having a closed end, said closed end form- 3 v ing a stop for the pointed end on said shaft of said bottom whereby to prevent said ponted end from protruding beyond the upper surface of said plastic top when the pa'ts are in interengaging positionwith said shaft occupying said central bore, balls supported by said spaced flanges and the walls of said central casing, a coled spring surrounding said shaft, one of the ends of said spring hearing against one of said spaced flanges on the opposite side thereof from said balls, and the other of said spring ends bearing against said collar, said central casing having a circular disk shaped side portion substantially spaced equally from said passage openings, said disk spaced side portion serving to anchor said casing within said plastic top.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Fischer Apr. 24, O'Donnell May 29, Phinney -1 Dec. 19, Phinney May 15, Skoog Jan. 29, Bowder Dec. 16, Pliszczak et al. June 12,

FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Nov. 19, France Dec. 2, France June 30, 

